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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
The 24-meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera
musculus) Skeleton at the Educational Science
Museum in Kuwait City, State of Kuwait
By: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-
Sakerfalke von Jaffa
The Skeleton of the 24-meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on
the Kazma (Kadmah) coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the Educational Science
Museum in Kuwait. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa.
24.06.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14586187903/
On Tuesday 24th June 2014, I have visited, accompanied with my daughter Nora,
the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait City, State of Kuwait.
The Kuwait Educational Science Museum (Science and Natural History
Museum) is located on Abdullah Al Mubarak Street, Kuwait City, State of
Kuwait. The museum explores the country's technological and scientific progress
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
and it contains big zoological collections, artifacts and demonstrations of the
Petroleum industry in Kuwait (Khalaf, April 2014).
The museum is organized in the following departments: Natural History
Department, Space Science Department, Planetarium, Electronics Department,
Machinery Department, Zoology Department, Aviation Department and a
Health hall (Wikipedia; Khalaf, April 2014).
The Skeleton of the 24-meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus Linnaeus, 1758)
is displayed at Hamad Mohammad Al-Atiqi (Museum Director 1972-1988) Hall.
The Blue Whale was found stranded on Kazma (Kadmah) shore in Kuwait in
1963. It is known that these whales live in the oceans, but entered the Arabian
Gulf because of a cancerous vertebral ailment.
Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa standing infront of the Skeleton of the 24-
meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah)
coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait.
Photo by: Nora Norman Ali Khalaf. 24.06.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14585503604/
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Frontal view of the Skeleton of the 24-meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah) coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the
Educational Science Museum in Kuwait. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-
von Jaffa. 24.06.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14379799867/
The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus Linnaeus, 1758) is a marine mammal
belonging to the baleen whales (Mysticeti). At 30 metres (98 feet) in length and
170 tonnes (190 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest existing animal and
the heaviest that ever existed (Wikipedia).
Long and slender, the blue whale's body can be various shades of bluish-grey
dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. There are at least three distinct
subspecies: Balaenoptera musculus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 of the North Atlantic
and North Pacific, Balaenoptera musculus intermedia Burmeister, 1871 of the
Southern Ocean and Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda Ichihara, 1966 (also known
as the pygmy blue whale) found in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific
Ocean. Balaenoptera musculus indica Blyth, 1859, found in the Indian Ocean, may
be another subspecies. As with other baleen whales, its diet consists almost
exclusively of small crustaceans known as krill (Wikipedia).
Blue whales were abundant in nearly all the oceans on Earth until the beginning
of the twentieth century. For over a century, they were hunted almost
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
to extinction by whalers until protected by the international community in 1966.
A 2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales worldwide,
located in at least five groups. More recent research into the Pygmy subspecies
suggests this may be an underestimate. Before whaling, the largest population
was in the Antarctic, numbering approximately 239,000 (range 202,000 to
311,000). There remain only much smaller (around 2,000) concentrations in each
of the eastern North Pacific, Antarctic, and Indian Ocean groups. There are two
more groups in the North Atlantic, and at least two in the Southern Hemisphere
(Wikipedia).
Blue Whale Information Sign at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait. Photo by:
Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa. 24.06.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14569308382/
Museum Information Sign: Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Found on Kadmah
shore in Kuwait on 1963. It is known that these whales live in the oceans, but entered the
Arabian Gulf because of Cancerous vertebral ailment… Distribution: Found in the
Antarctic. In winter it travels to the African coast avoiding tropical seas… Diet:
Planktons and Shrimps… Features: The largest mammal the world has ever seen…
Length: 65 – 110 feet (24 – 33 m)… Weight: Up to 130 tons… Gestation: The gestation
period is 10 – 11 months, giving birth to one calf, capable of diving, swimming and
suckling… Endangered animals from over kill: Fewer than 1000 whales now exist.
Living in the oceans.
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa standing beside of the Skeleton of the 24-
meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah)
coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait.
Photo by: Nora Norman Ali Khalaf. 24.06.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14383688567/
Taxonomy: Blue whales are rorquals (family Balaenopteridae), a family that
includes the humpback whale, the fin whale, Bryde's whale, the sei whale, and
the minke whale. The family Balaenopteridae is believed to have diverged from
the other families of the suborder Mysticeti as long ago as the middle Oligocene
(28 Ma ago). It is not known when the members of those families diverged from
each other (Wikipedia).
The blue whale is usually classified as one of eight species in the genus
Balaenoptera; one authority places it in a separate monotypic genus, Sibbaldus, but
this is not accepted elsewhere. DNA sequencing analysis indicates that the blue
whale is phylogenetically closer to the sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) and
Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) than to other Balaenoptera species, and closer
to the humpback whale (Megaptera) and the gray whale (Eschrichtius) than to the
minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata and Balaenoptera bonaerensis). If further
research confirms these relationships, it will be necessary to reclassify the
rorquals (Wikipedia).
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Frontal view of the Skeleton of the 24-meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah) coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the
Educational Science Museum in Kuwait. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-
von Jaffa. 24.06.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14383518688/
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Cancerous vertebral ailment caused the adherence of the two vertebras of the 24-meters
Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah) coast in
Kuwait in 1963. Educational Science Museum in Kuwait. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman
Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa. 24.06.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14566795991/
There have been at least 11 documented cases of blue/fin hybrid adults in the
wild. Arnason and Gullberg (1993) describe the genetic distance between a blue
and a fin as about the same as that between a human and a gorilla. Researchers
working off Fiji believe they photographed a hybrid humpback/blue whale
(Wikipedia).
The first published description of the blue whale comes from Robert Sibbald's
―Phalainologia Nova‖ (1694). In September 1692, Sibbald found a blue whale that
had stranded in the Firth of Forth—a male 24 m (78 feet)-long—which had
"black, horny plates" and "two large apertures approaching a pyramid in shape"
(Wikipedia).
The specific name musculus is Latin and could mean "muscle", but it can also be
interpreted as "little mouse". Carl Linnaeus, who named the species in his
seminal ―Systema Naturae‖ of 1758, would have known this and may have
intended the ironic double meaning. Herman Melville called this species
sulphur-bottom in his novel ―Moby-Dick’ due to an orange-brown or yellow
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
tinge on the underparts from diatom films on the skin. Other common names for
the blue whale have included Sibbald's rorqual (after Sibbald, who first
described the species), the great blue whale and the great northern rorqual.
These names have now fallen into disuse. The first known usage of the term blue
whale was in Melville's ―Moby-Dick‖, which only mentions it in passing and
does not specifically attribute it to the species in question. The name was really
derived from the Norwegian blåhval, coined by Svend Foyn shortly after he had
perfected the harpoon gun; the Norwegian scientist G. O. Sars adopted it as the
Norwegian common name in 1874 (Wikipedia).
Authorities classify the species into three or four subspecies: B. m. musculus, the
northern blue whale consisting of the North Atlantic and North Pacific
populations, B. m. intermedia, the southern blue whale of the Southern Ocean, B.
m. brevicauda, the pygmy blue whale found in the Indian Ocean and South
Pacific, and the more problematic B. m. indica, the great Indian rorqual, which is
also found in the Indian Ocean and, although described earlier, may be the same
subspecies as B. m. brevicauda (Wikipedia).
The Skeleton of the 24-meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on
the Kazma (Kadmah) coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the Educational Science
Museum in Kuwait. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa.
24.06.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14566821181/
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa standing beside the Skeleton of the 24-
meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah)
coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait.
Photo by: Nora Norman Ali Khalaf. 24.06.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14570211265/
Description and Behaviour
The blue whale has a long tapering body that appears stretched in comparison
with the stockier build of other whales. The head is flat, U-shaped and has a
prominent ridge running from the blowhole to the top of the upper lip. The front
part of the mouth is thick with baleen plates; around 300 plates (each around one
metre (3.2 feet) long) hang from the upper jaw, running 0.5 m (1.6 feet) back into
the mouth. Between 70 and 118 grooves (called ventral pleats) run along the
throat parallel to the body length. These pleats assist with evacuating water from
the mouth after lunge feeding (Wikipedia).
The dorsal fin is small, ranging in height from 8–70 centimeters (3.1–27.6 in)
(usually 20–40 centimeters (7.9–15.7 in)) and averaging about 28 centimetres
(11 in). It is visible only briefly during the dive sequence. Located around three-
quarters of the way along the length of the body, it varies in shape from one
individual to another; some only have a barely perceptible lump, but others may
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
have prominent and falcate (sickle-shaped) dorsals. When surfacing to breathe,
the blue whale raises its shoulder and blowhole out of the water to a greater
extent than other large whales, such as the fin or sei whales. Observers can use
this trait to differentiate between species at sea. Some blue whales in the North
Atlantic and North Pacific raise their tail fluke when diving. When breathing, the
whale emits a spectacular vertical single-column spout up to 12 metres (39 feet),
typically 9 metres (30 feet). Its lung capacity is 5,000 litres (1320 U.S. gallons).
Blue whales have twin blowholes shielded by a large splashguard (Wikipedia).
The flippers are 3–4 metres (9.8–13.1 feet) long. The upper sides are grey with a
thin white border; the lower sides are white. The head and tail fluke are
generally uniformly grey. The whale's upper parts, and sometimes the flippers,
are usually mottled. The degree of mottling varies substantially from individual
to individual. Some may have a uniform slate-grey color, but others demonstrate
a considerable variation of dark blues, greys and blacks, all tightly mottled
(Wikipedia).
Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa standing beside the Skeleton of the 24-
meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which stranded on the Kazma (Kadmah)
coast in Kuwait in 1963 and is displayed at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait.
Photo by: Nora Norman Ali Khalaf. 24.06.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14383601329/
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Blue whales can reach speeds of 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) over short
bursts, usually when interacting with other whales, but 20 kilometres per hour
(12 mph) is a more typical traveling speed. When feeding, they slow down to 5
kilometres per hour (3.1 mph) (Wikipedia).
Blue whales most commonly live alone or with one other individual. It is not
known how long traveling pairs stay together. In locations where there is a high
concentration of food, as many as 50 blue whales have been seen scattered over a
small area. They do not form the large, close-knit groups seen in other baleen
species (Wikipedia).
References and internet Websites :
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on 11 July 2007.
Animal Records. Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
Arnason, U. and A. Gullberg (1993). Comparison between the complete mtDNA
sequences of the blue and fin whale, two species that can hybridize in nature.
Journal of Molecular Ecology 37 (4): 312–322.
Arnason, U., Gullberg A. & Widegren, B. (1 September 1993). Cetacean
mitochondrial DNA control region: sequences of all extant baleen whales and
two sperm whale species. Molecular Biology and Evolution 10 (5): 960–970.
Assessment and Update Status Report on the Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus
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Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus): Eastern North Pacific Stock (NOAA Stock
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Blue Whales Spotted In Unusually Large Numbers Off Southern California
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Branch, T.A.; Abubaker, E. M. N.; Mkango, S.; Butterworth, D. S. (2007).
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
Separating southern blue whale subspecies based on length frequencies of
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Retrieved 22 March 2009.
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meline
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Reports of the Whales Research Institute 32: 155–197.
Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1980). Tabie’t Al-Talawon fi Al-Haywanat (The
Colouration of Animals). Al-Biology Bulletin. Number 1. January 1980, Safar
1401. Biological Society, Kuwait University, State of Kuwait. pp. 4-5. (in Arabic).
Khalaf, Norman (1982). A’maar Al-Haywanat (Animal Ages). Al-Biology
Bulletin. Number 18, Third Year, First Semester, Saturday 6.11.1982. Biological
Society, Kuwait University, State of Kuwait. pp. 7. (in Arabic).
Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1987). Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus) from the
State of Kuwait, Arabian Gulf. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin.
Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 14, Fifth Year,
Shawal 1407 AH, June 1987 AD. pp. 1-14.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1992). The Minke Whale (Balaenoptera
acutorostrata) in the Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander
Koenig, Bonn, Germany. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad
Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 26, Tenth Year, January 1992.
pp. 1-3.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1992). An Introduction to the Animal Life
in Palestine. Gazelle. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad
Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 30, Tenth Year, October 1992.
pp. 1-7. (in Arabic).
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1994). An Introduction to the Animal Life
in Palestine. Shqae’q Al-Nouma’n (Anemone coronaria). A Quarterly Magazine
Issued by the Program EAI (Education for Awareness and for Involvement).
Environmental Education / Children for Nature Protection. In Cooperation with
Dept. of General and Higher Education. P.L.O., Palestine. Number 4. Huzairan
(June) 1994. pp. 16-21. (in Arabic).
Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (Gründer) (seit Juni 2001). Wale und Delphine Club
Yahoo Group. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Waleunddelphine/
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Gazelle: Das Palästinensische Biologische
Bulletin. Eine Wissenschaftliche Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa
zwischen 1983 – 2004 / Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. A Scientific
Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2004. ISBN 3-00-014121-
9. Erste Auflage, Juli 2004: 452 Seiten. Zweite erweiterte Auflage, August 2004:
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
460 Seiten. Norman Ali Khalaf, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany. http://dr-
norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Die Wal Sonderausstellung "Delphinidae
Delphionidae" und "Kleinwale in Nord- und Ostsee" im Museum Alexander
Koenig in Bonn, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Gazelle: The Palestinian
Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number
35, Twenty-second Year, September 2004. pp. 1.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Der Schweinswal (Phocoena phocoena) in der
Nord- und Ostsee...The Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea
and Baltic Sea. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad Godesberg,
Federal Republic of Germany. Number 36, Twenty-second Year, October 2004.
pp. 1-7.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). Thema des Tages (5. Januar 2005): In See
gespülter Indopazifischer Buckeldelfin (Sousa chinensis) in Thailand nach Tagen
gerettet. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab
Emirates. Number 37, Twenty-third Year, January 2005. pp. 1-3.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). The Story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) and the
Whale. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab
Emirates. Number 38, Twenty-third Year, February 2005. pp. 9-13.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). Jaffa (Yaffa): The History of an Old
Palestinian Arab City on the Mediterranean Sea. Gazelle: The Palestinian
Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Number 39, Twenty-third
Year, March 2005. pp. 7-8.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). The Andromeda Sea Monster of Jaffa.
Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Number 39, Twenty-third Year, March 2005. pp. 8.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). Aquatica Arabica. An Aquatic Scientific
Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1980 - 2005. / Aquatica
Arabica. Eine Aquatische Wissenschaftliche Reise in Palaestina, Arabien und
Europa zwischen 1980 - 2005. ISBN 3-00-014835-3. Erste Auflage, August 2005:
376 Seiten. Publisher: Norman Ali Khalaf, Rilchingen-Hanweiler,
Bundesrepublik Deutschland & Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://dr-
norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/aquaticaarabica.htm
Khalaf, Norman Ali (Co-Author) (2005, 2006). Chapter 3: Geography, Flora and
Fauna. Pages 32-39. in: Palestine: A Guide. By Mariam Shahin, Photography by
George Azar. Co-Author: Norman Ali Khalaf. Northampton, Massachusetts:
Interlink Publishing Group, 2005, 2006. xi + 471 pages. Appendices to page 500.
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2006). A Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
Stranding on Al Mamzar Beach, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The
Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 50. February 2006. pp. 1-5.
https://de.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Quastenflosser/conversations/mess
ages/22
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2006). Mammalia Arabica. Eine Zoologische Reise
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 128 – August 2015
in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1980-2006. / Mammalia Arabica. A
Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1980-2006. ISBN 3-
00-017294-7. Erste Auflage, Juli 2006, 484 pp. Publisher: Norman Ali Khalaf,
Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Deutschland & Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://dr-
norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/mammaliaarabica.htm
Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2007). Haywanat
Filistin (Fauna of Palestine). In: Wikipedia-Arabic, Al-Mawsu'a Al-Hurra (The
Free Encyclopedia). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 69,
September 2007, Sha’ban 1428 AH. pp. 1-4. (Article in Arabic).
http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%
D8%A7%D8%AA_%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86
Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2008). Cetacea
Palaestina: The Whales and Dolphins in Palestinian Waters. Cetacean Species
Guide for Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 83,
November 2008, Thu Al-Qi’ada 1429 AH. pp. 1-14. Sharjah, United Arab
Emirates. http://cetacea-palaestina.webs.com/
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2009). Fauna Palaestina – Part One. A
Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2006 / Fauna
Palaestina – Teil Eins. Eine Zoologische Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa
zwischen 1983 – 2006. ISBN 978-9948-03-865-8. Erste Auflage/First Edition,
September 2009: 412 Seiten/Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler,
Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-
books.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart1.htm
Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2010). Fauna Emiratus -
Part One. Zoological Studies in the United Arab Emirates between 2004 - 2009. /
Fauna Emiratus – Teil Eins. Zoologische Studien in die Vereinigten Arabischen
Emirate zwischen 2004 - 2009. ISBN 978-9948-15-462-4. Erste Auflage/First
Edition, November 2010: 350 Seiten / Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali
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Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa standing infront of the Skeleton of the 24-meters
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Khalaf. 24.06.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/14400780960/
